Martin Brandhofer and Bridget Meijerink won all the heats in Hechthausen

Small but mighty, is all one can say. Only five teams lined up in the International Sidecar Class in Hechthausen, four of which held German licences. As expected, Markus Brandhofer and his new passenger Bridget Meijerink put in an outstanding performance, winning the event with maximum points.

The Upper Bavarian from Gaißach in the Tölz-Wolfratshausen district of the Isarwinkel region seems to have found another top sidecar passenger in the wife of Dave Meijerink – who won the solo class at the Waldstadion – following Sandra Mollema’s retirement. “Yes, she really does a first-class job in the sidecar,” said Brandhofer, praising the 21-year-old from Schuinesloot in the Netherlands after the five heats on the challenging sand track.

After good starts, Brandhofer and Meijerink each had a clear view ahead by the first bend at the latest and were able to ride their own line. “The track was very well prepared today,” said the Gaißach native, praising the track marshals from the Motorradfreunde Niederelbe, where Tim Scheunemann – Brandhofer’s long-standing co-driver – now works as race director. At the European Championship Challenge in Werlte, the German-Dutch team aims to qualify for the European Championship final at the end of August in Aduard (NL).

How did things go in Hechthausen?

In Hechthausen, thrilling battles unfolded in all races behind the eventual overall winners. This was particularly true between Moritz Straub – who now has David Kersten, the former passenger of veteran Karl Keil, on board – and Nicole Standke, who will also be relying on a newcomer in the sidecar, Alex Herrmann, in future. Kenny van Eckhout and his passenger Axelle Cannaerts from Bonheiden in Belgian Flanders were also very much in the mix in this three-way battle for second and third place on the podium.

The team from Lake Constance, Straub/Kersten, ultimately finished second overall after securing five second places, ahead of Standke/Herrmann and the mixed Belgian duo. Ole Möller from Nordhastedt and his new Dutch passenger, Imani Hazekamp, failed to reach the final four and finished fifth overall.

Korbinian junior and Korbinian senior were also there

At the subsequent prize-giving ceremony, two Korbinian men with the surname Brandhofer – who work as mechanics for the team before, during and after the races – were among those celebrating. Korbinian senior, Markus’s father, turns 80 this Wednesday. He makes sure that Korbinian junior, Markus’s twelve-year-old son, does everything correctly whilst working on the 500cc sidecar. It’s a family affair, after all.

Results of the Hechthausen grass track race, sidecars:

• 1. Martin Brandhofer/Bridget Meijerink (D/NL), 15 points

• 2. Moritz Straub/David Kersten (D), 10

• 3. Nicole Standke/Alex Herrmann (D), 7

• 4. Kenny van Eckhout/Axelle Cannaerts (B), 2

• 5. Ole Möller/Imani Hazekamp (Germany/Netherlands), 2

• Final: 1. Brandhofer/Meijerink, 2. Straub/Kersten, 3. Standke/Herrmann, 4. Van Eckhout/Cannaerts

Results of the Hechthausen grass track race, solo:

• 1. Dave Meijerink (NL), 19 points

• 2. Jacob Bukhave (DK), 17

• 3. William Kruit (NL), 16

• 4. Stephan Katt (D), 11

• 5. James Shanes (GB), 10

• 6. Timo Wachs (D), 10

• 7. Mark Beishuizen (NL), 6

• 8. Niek Meijerink (NL), 5

• 9. Jeffrey Sijbesma (NL), 4

• 10. Fabian Wachs (Germany), 3

• 11. Keijo Busch (Germany), 2

• 12. Jörg Tebbe (Germany), 0

• Final: 1. Kruit, 2. Meijerink, 3. Bukhave, 4. Shanes, 5. Katt, 6. T. Wachs